As math tutors we will often ask new students if they know of or can provide an example of a particular concept. Usually the response is a resounding no. So when we start to demonstrate an example, then some students perk up and can actually can articulate some knowledge about how to solve the problem.
Some may say well yes that is because you are only asking students who attend tutoring and thus are behind in math skills. This is actually not the case. As we have a variety of students at different levels of mathematical maturity this is a common thread. If you are parent with a student 6th grade or older give them a verbal quiz.
What is an integer?
What is a factor?
What is a divisor?
If your student has trouble explaining these concepts or at the very least cannot provide and example then they have a math gap.
So what is this gap? Math Vocabulary!
This is not anyone in particular’s fault. As it goes math is primarily number intensive. This leaves students with the sense that the names and definitions just aren’t as important as knowing how to solve the problem. While yes solving the problem is important, we strive for our student’s at Math Corner to have balance. Not only should they know how to solve the problem, they should also be able to interpret meaning, give examples, explain why certain methods are better than others. Students who do not have this balance will often under perform when it comes to standardized tests such as ACT and SAT.
Since we discovered so many students with this same gap we decided to create a workshop/seminar to give students tools and techniques to study math vocab.
Will the students spend an hour and half making FlashCards? NO!
We at Math Corner have been researching various techniques, methods and games to make the study process an inviting possibly fun exercise. We will be sharing these methods with your student and giving them a chance to try them out and see what works for them. Also we will be giving them a list of vocabulary they should know for their grade level, so they can get to work using these techniques right away to increase their math fluency.
If you are interested in signing up for this workshop please click the link below.
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